Tattered Strips of Green
by Zab Jade
Summary: Seven years ago, Inui made the biggest mistake of his life, leaving Kaidoh nearly broken. Too stubborn to let it destroy him, Kaidoh carried on until someone else finished what Inui had started, nearly costing him his life. Now, Inui and some of the other
1. Chapter 1

The next morning, Inui awoke at exactly twenty minutes past four

**Tattered Strips of Green**

**Chapter One**

**Disclaimer: **Prince of Tennis belongs to Takeshi Konomi. I do not own Prince of Tennis or the associated characters.

**Author's Note: **This story takes place twelve years after the start of Prince of Tennis.

**Warning:** Mentions of apparent attempted suicide. Mentions of relationships between two males and between a male and a female.

* * *

_The young man was still, too still, as he lay in the coils of an enormous snake. At first it seemed the hissing viper would crush the fragile human, but on closer inspection the constantly shifting body formed a protective barrier of scales._

_The serpent's head and upper body swayed hypnotically back and forth, back and forth, creating afterimages that confused the eye. There was no way past the viper. No way to slip past its cold, cold gaze and get to the one within its care. But once, not too long ago, someone had managed it. And now the human was so still within those sheltering coils. Still and soaking wet, one wrist outstretched while blood flowed like a river…._

Ryoma awoke from his doze as the bus began to slow for one of its scheduled stops, shuddering slightly at the nightmare that had held a touch of memory. He lifted his own wrist to look at the ribbon of green and white cloth encircling it.

"Kaidoh-senpai," he said softly, closing his eyes for a moment as memories flooded through him.

_He ran as the rain pounded down, his cell phone still clutched in his hand. The river. He had known it would be the river. They all had. And when the rain had started to fall, most of them had realized it would be that night._

_By the time Ryoma got there, Momoshiro was already in the water, struggling against the current to bring his limp burden to shore. He jumped in to help without a thought, a fresh wave of fear filling him as he grabbed a cold, lifeless arm. Were they too late?_

_Together, he and Momo pulled Kaidoh to shore, the older of the two immediately attempting to resuscitate their friend. Ryoma only then noticed that Fuji and Eiji were there, the tensai kneeling on the muddy ground to bandage the ugly, jagged slash across Kaidoh's wrist._

"…_no…No…NO!"_

_The anguished cries caught Ryoma's attention. Inui was there, on his knees and punching the ground as he screamed in denial. That kind of behavior wasn't like him, but then again, that woman never could have driven Kaidoh to this if Inui hadn't…_

_A set of weak coughs broke through his thoughts. Kaidoh was alive. But he wasn't Kaidoh anymore. There was only the serpent…._

…_It was evening, eight months later, and Tezuka was on the phone when Ryoma walked into their home._

"_You know I don't approve of this, Inui," the former captain of the Seigaku tennis club said coldly._

"_Tezuka-buchou," Ryoma interrupted, holding his hand out for the phone. A normal person would have called his lover by his given name, but to Ryoma, Tezuka-buchou was Tezuka-buchou and always would be._

"_It's me," he said into the receiver after it was handed over by a frowning Tezuka. And Inui answered with two words that explained everything._

_"It's time."_

* * *

"Takeshi?" Momoshiro Ann questioned softly as her husband hung up the phone. Their five-year-old son, Keisuke, stood quietly by her side.

"I have to go," Momo answered. "Would you call your brother and have him watch the shop for me?"

"That was Inui-san, wasn't it?" she asked.

He nodded in answer to her question before crouching to ruffle Keisuke's spiky red hair. "You be a good boy while I'm gone, okay?"

"Okay."

Momo smiled and headed upstairs, Ann following close behind him, where she helped him pack a week's worth of clothing. He gave a brief nod of thanks before gently pushing past her and heading outside.

He wasn't planning to take his bike, but he went to it anyway, setting down his bag as he knelt to study the right handlebar. There was just enough light left to see the strip of cloth tied there. It was faded and fragile after all the years it had been exposed to the elements, but it was still mostly in one piece. Once he managed to get it untied, he gazed at it with a slightly wistful look.

It had been a week before the third-years were to graduate, and they had all known that something was up when Kaidoh had left practice early, blushing for some reason and staring at the ground. When practice had ended, the eight members closest to Kaidoh had each found a strip of green bandana with their belongings.

The next day, Momo had been the one to give him a new bandana, the green and white cloth signed by everyone who had received a piece of the old one. Tezuka's signature had been there with everyone else's, but the captain had still made Kaidoh run fifty extra laps for leaving without permission. Kaidoh hadn't seemed to mind.

Momo sighed with soft regret at the memory and attempted to tie the old piece of bandana around his wrist. Ann came up beside him and quietly did it for him.

"Are you sure this is the right thing to do?" she asked.

"She knows who I am, so all I'm going to do is support the others."

"You know she never would have been able to push him over the edge if Inui-san hadn't already forced him so close to it."

"I know," Momo said softly, standing up and turning to go. He looked back at her over his shoulder. "She meant to hurt him, Ann-chan. Inui thought he was doing the right thing. And that makes all the difference."

* * *

"It's okay, Eiji," Inui said into the phone. "The others will be in the area within a few hours, but we aren't going to meet until morning. Just make sure you're at the park by six."

As his conversation neared its end, Inui heard someone come into the house. He hadn't expected him back so soon, but his predictions regarding the other man had only been correct forty percent of the time in the last several months.

"Whatever you're planning has to do with her, doesn't it?"

He slowly hung up the phone, forcing himself not to flinch at the disdainful tone. He didn't answer and he didn't turn around. The other man already knew the answer to his question, and if Inui turned around, he would have to face those cold, empty eyes.

He guiltily wondered if Ryoma and Momoshiro had done the right thing eight months ago. The person standing behind him was breathing and had a beating heart, but Kaidoh, _his_ Kaidoh, was dead. And Inui was no longer certain he could ever be brought back to life.

"Tch. I don't know why you're even bothering. You don't have the right to hate Yukiko. You threw me away long before she did."

As Kaidoh walked away, Inui's fists clenched, his short nails digging into his palms. He wouldn't cry. It wasn't like him. It would be illogical.

"Damn it," he muttered softly as slow tears trailed down his cheeks.


	2. Chapter 2

**Tattered Strips of Green**

**Chapter Two**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own PoT or the associated characters. I do, however, own Gremlin and Mitsukake. Literally. They're my pets. Isis belongs to Syldana, who has graciously allowed me to write her as one of Kaidoh's pets.

* * *

The next morning, Inui awoke at exactly twenty minutes past four. It was the first step in what had become his morning ritual shortly after moving into Yukiko's former work room. The next step was to put his glasses on and walk across the hall to Kaidoh's room, wearing nothing but the boxers he had slept in.

Asleep, Kaidoh looked at peace with the world. He cuddled a small black and blue merle dog in his arms, the side of his face buried in her silky fur. A black cat lay curled up against his back while a white cat was draped gracefully over his hip.

The animals were the only beings Kaidoh hadn't cut himself off from. They didn't lie to him or try to hurt him. They would never turn their backs on him. All they would do was love him, with no strings attached. Inui knew they were aware of his presence, but they didn't stir. He wasn't interesting enough to pull them away from the man they adored.

Inui sighed softly and crouched, gazing intently at Kaidoh. He could almost pretend he was looking at the same person he had known eight months ago. No, more than that. He looked younger in his sleep, more like the quiet, introverted teenage boy he had fallen hopelessly in love with all those years ago.

He shifted forward onto the balls of his feet, reaching his arm out until his hand was a mere centimeter above the other man's head. If he lowered it that one centimeter he could gently stroke the soft, black hair. But he wouldn't. He wouldn't risk waking him up and being confronted with that cold, unfeeling gaze.

Inui stayed that way for nearly five minutes before he finally stood and quietly returned to his own room. By the time he had finished getting dressed and had completed a short set of exercises, it was five in the morning and there were soft sounds coming from the living room.

He ventured out to see Kaidoh already up and dressed, getting the dog ready for its morning walk. The cats, Isis and Gremlin, rubbed against Inui's legs on their way to the kitchen.

"Inui, make yourself useful and feed the cats instead of standing there in the hall like an idiot."

Inui winced slightly. The old Kaidoh never would have spoken to him like that. He took a deep breath and pushed his glasses back with one finger.

"I have quite a few things to do today. I will most likely end up leaving Nabiki with your parents for several hours."

"Hn. Whatever," Kaidoh said, heading toward the door. "Come, Mitsukake-chan." The small dog barked, her plumed tail waving happily as they left the house.

Inui sighed and went to the kitchen to feed the cats. He managed a small smile as the sleek white cat, Isis, rubbed herself against his leg, meowing loudly. The lovely creature was either hard of hearing or completely deaf, but he didn't know which. The loud meowing could be because she could barely hear herself, or because she could feel the vibrations from the sounds.

Once he would have gathered data to find out for sure, but data collection just hadn't been all that important to him for the past seven years. With a last rub against his leg, Isis deserted him to join her black-furred mate at the food bowl, their sides touching.

It was suddenly painful to see them together, so he turned away. He had more important things to do than watch cats. He filled a glass with water and took a selection of vitamin supplements from a cabinet. Most of them were natural mood enhancers.

"Heh. I'm such an idiot," he said softly to himself, staring at the handful of brightly colored capsules. "I drove us both to the edge seven years ago. But even though you broke first, you were the stronger one."

He had used his knowledge of the human body and various chemicals to make a thin rope of sorts for himself. Kaidoh had clung to the edge of their shared cliff with nothing but sheer willpower and determination. And he had started to pull himself back up before Yukiko sent him falling.

"Kaidoh…" he whispered as memories overwhelmed him.

_"I've gathered all of the data that I need," he said, the comment seemingly coming from nowhere as they walked beside the river. "Now would be a good time to end the more intimate aspects of our association. And possibly even the association as a whole."_

_The eighteen-year-old boy at his side stopped and stared at him incredulously. "What are you talking about?"_

_Inui adjusted his glasses before answering. "This experiment has come to its natural conclusion."_

"_Experiment? What the hell is going on? Did you get hit on the head when I wasn't looking?"_

"_Teenagers often experiment with relationships. It doesn't really mean anything. It's just training for when they're ready to get married and have a family. You do want a wife and family, don't you, Kaidoh?" They had been using each other's given names when alone together, but he felt that was too familiar for this conversation._

"_No, I don't," Kaidoh answered, unconsciously shifting into a defiant stance, his hands clenched at his sides. "I don't want a wife and family. I just want _you_." His cheeks tinged pink at the blunt admission, but his expression was determined._

_Inui turned away from him. "That may be, but you can hardly expect me to give up my hopes for the future because of your ridiculous fixation on me."_

_There was a soft gasp of shock and hurt from behind him, but he ignored it and continued to speak. "As I said before, I have sufficient data on relationships now. I have no further need of you. Goodbye, Kaidoh."_

_As he walked away, he heard a soft thump that could have been Kaidoh falling to his knees. He didn't turn back to look._

"Inui-san?"

Inui slowly came back to himself at the sound of his name and the feel of a small tug at the hem of his shirt. He glanced down, his eyes focusing on a young, worried face that was like looking at Kaidoh in miniature.

"Are you okay, Inui-san?" five-year-old Kaidoh Nabiki asked.

"I'm fine," he lied, smiling down at her. "We should be going, Nabi-chan. There are many things to do today."

* * *

"Don' wanna run twenty laps. You know you liked it, Buchou," Ryoma muttered as someone shook him.

"Wake up, Echizen! And shut up. I'm pretty sure I don't want to know what you're muttering about. Don't want to know at all."

Ryoma blinked sleepily and glared at Momo before shifting his gaze to stare balefully at the clock. It was barely fifteen minutes until six.

He hated mornings. Just waking up before noon was a terrible ordeal. Being expected to wake up before six in the morning was pure, inhuman torture. So why was Momo in his room, torturing him? Where was Tezuka? And why didn't his room look like his room?

"Echizen!" Momo said sharply, shaking him again.

Ryoma focused on him, blinking again as he remembered. That was right. Momo had called him last night, inviting him to stay with him at his parents' house rather than checking into a hotel.

"Why did Inui-senpai have to schedule this for so early?" he grumbled, rubbing his eyes.

"Quit complaining and get ready," Momo replied, ruffling Ryoma's hair before leaving the room.

Ryoma yawned, wondering if it was all really worth getting up for. Then his attention was caught by the scrap of green and white cloth still tied around his wrist. He clenched his fist, his hazel eyes gleaming with determination. No matter how early it was, he would meet with the others and play his part in punishing Yukiko for what she had done.

* * *

Birdsong rang through the park as the singers danced through the air on feathered wings. On the ground, an almost angelic seeming young man stood, his head tilted back as he watched their flight. His lips curved up into a serene smile as the sound of grumbling approachers quieted the birds.

"A lovely morning, isn't it?" Fuji asked softly, turning to face the just arriving Momo and Ryoma.

"Ochibi!" a voice called out before Momo or Ryoma could respond to Fuji. Eiji bounded over to them and leaped onto Ryoma's back, rubbing his cheek against the side of the younger man's head.

"Gack! Kikumaru-senpai, get off!"

"Hee!" Eiji jumped down and waved at the other two. Then he looked around, his head tilting quizzically. "Nya, where's Inui? He said to be here at six."

"I'm here, Kikumaru," Inui's voice called out as he appeared from behind a tree. Nabiki trotted along at his heels as he approached the others. He immediately fixed his attention on Ryoma. "Your part in this starts today. Are you prepared?"

"Nn." Ryoma nodded and pulled a small book from his pocket entitled Seduction for Beginners.

Momo stared at the book. "Our plan is doomed. So doomed."

Eiji laughed and hugged Ryoma from behind. "Don't worry, I'll make sure our Ochibi is charming enough for that nasty woman."

"_Fsshuu_"

Eiji made a small, startled sound and bent his knees to hide behind Ryoma, peering over the younger man's shoulder at the little girl by Inui's side. She stopped hissing and fidgeting as she blinked at him, cocking her head slightly.

"Did she just…" the redhead blurted before trailing off.

Ryoma rolled his eyes. "She _is_ Kaidoh-senpai's kid." Like Eiji, he had never heard Nabiki hiss, but he wasn't surprised. He had imitated the sound himself before, receiving a light bonk to the head for it from Kaidoh, and had even heard Sakuno's annoying friend do it a few times.

Inui frowned slightly and adjusted his glasses as Nabiki began fidgeting again. "Eiji, do you understand your role well enough?"

"Keep Ochibi out of trouble and do my best to keep Fuji from knowing that his new fiancée is being seduced." He winked at Fuji as he said it.

Fuji's ever present smile widened a bit. "I'm sure you'll do a wonderful job at that, Eiji," he said with a touch of laughter in his voice.

Correctly guessing the reason for Inui's question, Eiji stopped hiding behind Ryoma and held out his hand to Nabiki. "Let's go play, nya?"

She nodded and took his hand, letting him lead her deeper into the park. Once they were out of sight, the remaining four continued the meeting.

"Most of my data regarding Yukiko is incorrect," Inui said. "Fuji is fairly certain she's being her true self around him though, so we'll use his information to work out the details for the rest of the plan."

"Yukiko dislikes children and animals, for one thing," Fuji said. "And she likes the companionship of people she considers charming, elegant, and beautiful."

"Charming, elegant, and beautiful?" Momo repeated in disbelief. "Someone please remind me just why she ended up going after and marrying the mamushi. Even I'll admit he can be disturbingly cute when he wants to be, but 'charming, elegant, and beautiful' is pretty much the opposite of Kaidoh."

"You know why as well as the rest of us, Momo," Inui answered. "He was an easy target for her, and the perfect way into the social circles she wished to be a part of. His tendency to hide from public view after he went pro only made things better for her."

They were all quiet for a moment until Fuji broke the silence. "Our mamushi deserves a lot better than what he's received from people who have claimed to care about him." His piercing blue eyes were fully open and fixed on Inui as he spoke.

The other man looked away. "We should get back to discussing the plan."

* * *

Nabiki loved to run. When she got up to full speed, she thought it must be just like flying. She laughed with the pure joy of a young child as she ran, the air rushing past her face and drowning out the sound of Eiji's frantic calls as she disappeared among the trees.

She gave a small shriek of surprise as she tripped over a tree root, falling and skidding a bit across the ground on her forearms and knees.

"_Fsshuu..._"

"You shouldn't do that."

Nabiki lifted her head a bit, her eyes first taking in the sight of a familiar little black and blue merle dog. Beside the dog were a pair of sockless feet encased within white tennis shoes.

"P-papa?"

Her father stood in front of her with the cold, disinterested look in his eyes that had become the norm during the past eight months. The little girl fought not to cry. She didn't care as much about losing her mother – she had loved her, but the woman had never really had much to do with her – but she desperately wanted her father back.

"If you hiss, people will think you're weird, and they won't like you," he said.

"You do it all the time," she pointed out, though she hadn't heard him hiss at all in the past eight months.

"I'm weird and people don't like me."

"Lots of people like you, Papa. Even Momochan-san likes you, but he doesn't like to admit it." She shifted backwards onto just her knees, unconsciously giving another low hiss as she realized she had a nasty scrape along her right arm.

She expected another advisement against hissing. Instead, he moved closer to her and crouched, pulling off his red and black bandana as he did so.

"Have Inui take proper care of this when you get back to him," he said, tying the bandana around her arm.

Acting on a sudden impulse, Nabiki threw herself forward, nearly knocking them both to the ground as she hugged him. "I love you, Papa."

Kaidoh was silent for a moment, then spoke quietly. "I know. I'm sorry, kitten. I can't be who you need me to be right now. That's why…."

"That's why Inui-san takes care of me now," Nabiki said, hugging him tighter.

He gently pulled away from her and stood, turning to leave. "Kikumaru's been calling for you. It isn't polite to worry your elders." He took a few steps away, then stopped as he heard her getting to her feet. "Nabi-chan?"

"Yes, Papa?"

_…Safely within the coils of a protective serpent, there was a young man who seemed either dead or deeply sleeping. He was still, so very, very still. And then the fingers of one hand began to twitch…_

"I love you too," he said. And then he walked away.

* * *

"Do you think you can do it, Echizen?" Inui asked.

"Nn." Ryoma yawned. "Should be easy. I just have to be charming and wonderful."

"Doomed. So doomed," Momo muttered. The others ignored him.

"We'll be meeting at Taka-san's place tonight. If everyone remembers their roles, it should all work out according to plan," Inui said, looking over the notes he had made.

"Eiji's back," Fuji said suddenly, pointing past Inui's shoulder.

The redhead waved at them as he approached. "Nya, she tried to make me eat a lizard!"

"They're good for you," Nabiki insisted. "I've seen Inui-san use them in his drinks."

Ryoma and Momo stared at Inui and slowly backed away. Inui didn't notice. His attention was fixed on the red and black bandana tied around Nabiki's arm. He recognized it as the one Kaidoh had been wearing earlier that morning.

"She got away from me for a bit," Eiji said, his tone and manner suddenly serious. "When I found her again, she had that."

"I fell down and hurt my arm. Papa was there."

"I see," Inui said quietly. Nabiki went over to him and held on to the hem of his shirt.

"I think we're done here for now," Fuji said.

"Come on, Echizen." Momo grabbed Ryoma's arm and started to drag him away. "I'll buy you some breakfast."

"Oooh, get some for me too!" Eiji said, following after them.

"You're older, so you get to buy, Eiji-senpai," Momo said.

"What? That's not fair!"

Fuji lingered behind with Inui and Nabiki as the others left, their good-natured arguing fading as they traveled out of hearing range.

"Is there something you wanted?" Inui asked.

Fuji nodded. "To ask you a question. When was the last time you were truly happy?"

Inui looked down at the ground, adjusting his glasses before answering. "Seven years ago."

"Hm. That's what I thought. I'll see you tonight, Inui."

And then Fuji was gone, leaving Inui alone with Nabiki and his memories. Memories of the night before he had broken Kaidoh's heart. And his own.

_"You're like a tootsie roll pop," he announced suddenly, gazing up at the young man laying comfortably atop him._

"_You think I'm sweet and fruity?" Kaidoh asked, blinking in surprise. His head tilted slightly to the side as it usually did when he was utterly bewildered._

_Inui laughed at that and reached up to stroke the eighteen-year-old's hair. "You can certainly be sweet when you feel like it, but that's not what I meant. You have a hard outer shell and a soft, chewy center, but that shell isn't just a mask. It's as much who you really are as your softer side."_

_Kaidoh shifted and moved Inui's hand out of his hair. Then he rubbed his cheek against the other man's palm, lightly kissing his wrist while still gazing down at him, attentive as Inui continued his analogy._

"_There are many who would get impatient and attempt to bite their way through to that softer side, but they'd risk hurting their teeth and breaking off shards." He caressed the younger teenager's cheek. "A smart person would slowly lick their way through, gently wearing down part of the armor."_

_The corners of Kaidoh's mouth quirked up in a small smile and his eyes danced with amusement. A sudden, overwhelming feeling of warmth filled Inui's heart. There were at least seven other people who'd been permitted a glimpse past the outer shell, but Inui was the only one allowed to see all aspects of the young man he loved. It made him feel special, to be the one person in the world entrusted with such a precious gift._

"_Does that mean you intend to lick me until you get to my chewy center?" Kaidoh asked, his voice husky._

_Inui chuckled and moved suddenly, flipping them so that he was now the one on top. "Will you let me?"_

"_Maybe." He smirked. "If you're good."_

_"Oh, I can be very," he let his tongue flick across the side of Kaidoh's neck, "very good."_

It had been the last time Kaidoh had ever smiled at him. The last time he'd ever been given more than a glimpse past his outer shell.


	3. Chapter 3

**Tattered Strips of Green**

**Chapter Three**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Prince of Tennis or the associated characters. I do, however, own Nabiki and Yukiko.

* * *

Later that day, Kaidoh Hozumi paced in her living room, waiting for Inui to arrive with her granddaughter. She was not looking forward to that arrival. She loved her granddaughter, but the fact that Inui would be bringing her….

She jumped slightly, startled by the sudden knock at the door. Recovering quickly, she opened it, trying to avoid looking at Inui. Although he never spoke of it, seeing him was like a silent reproach, a reminder of what she had done. Of how she had ruined his life and that of her oldest child.

She forced herself to ignore him and focused on her granddaughter. "Nabi-chan," she said with a warm smile, holding out her arms. Nabiki smiled and ran to her for a hug.

Inui watched them with a neutral expression. It was hard to be around Hozumi, but she was the best person to watch Nabiki for him.

"What would you like to do today? I had planned to do some baking, would you like to help?" Hozumi was honestly happy to see her granddaughter and was looking forward to spending the day with her.

Before Nabiki could answer, Inui cleared his throat to get their attention. "I'll be back later tonight," he said, his tone cold and barely civil. He knew it was irrational and illogical, but part of him resented the fact that Nabiki got along so well with her grandmother.

"Wait!" Hozumi called as he turned toward the door. "How… how is Kaoru?"

"The same as he's been since the… incident eight months ago."

"You think it's my fault, don't you?" she blurted suddenly, sounding miserable and close to tears. It was obvious that she, at least, blamed herself.

"No," Inui answered slowly, his hand on the doorknob. "I think it's my fault for listening to you. Come on, Nabiki."

"But-"

"I thought you were leaving her with me," Hozumi said, unintentionally cutting Nabiki off.

"I changed my mind." He didn't think he'd be able to come back to pick her up if he left her.

He took Nabiki's hand and left the house before Hozumi could react.

* * *

_"I want you to break up with my son."_

_Those words echoed through his mind briefly as he slowly absorbed their meaning. He had half expected it when Kaidoh's mother had called and asked to meet with him at a time when Kaidoh would be out running. That didn't make it any easier to hear._

_He studied her body language for a moment. She had turned away from him with her arms across her chest, her hands cupped over her elbows. She wasn't happy or comfortable with what she was asking._

"_Why?"_

_Hozumi took a deep breath. "I've always been a little uncomfortable with the relationship between the two of you, but Kaoru's happiness is more important than how I feel about things."_

"_Then why do you want me to break up with him?"_

"_I'm well aware of the fact that my son has never been overwhelmingly popular. Other than his family, you're the only person who has ever really shown him a great deal of positive attention. He had no real choice but to fall in love with you." She turned to face him again. "What if he realizes someday, when it's too late, that he really would have liked to have settled down with a nice girl and raised a family?"_

_He was quiet for a moment. Unlike Fuji and the Golden Pair, Kaidoh wasn't homosexual. He wasn't even bisexual like Ryoma, Tezuka, and Momoshiro. Instead, he was like Kawamura, attracted to people based on their personalities. Inui himself was similar, though he felt no physical attraction toward a person until he had fallen in love with them._

"_That's… entirely possible," he answered slowly._

"_Then you'll do it?"_

"_I… will take it into consideration. If you'll excuse me, I have errands to run."_

_He walked slowly to his next destination, lost in thought. It was too easy to picture Kaidoh married to a lovely woman with kids and pets underfoot. He had endless patience and affection for innocent creatures. He would make an excellent father if given the chance. And he would never get that chance as long as Inui was in the way._

_It was several hours before Inui came to an agonizing decision. He would have to break up with Kaidoh. No, more than that. To keep Kaidoh from trying to get him back, he would have to do it in a way that would make the other hate him. And he would have to set it in motion immediately, before he talked himself out of it._

* * *

By six that evening, everyone but Fuji and his fiancée were gathered at Kawamura Sushi, which they had reserved for the night. Even Ryoma had managed to be on time, largely due to Momo.

Fuji arrived five minutes later, Hanatori Yukiko by his side. She was a small woman with long hair like a fall of black silk. Bright green eyes looked out from a lovely, delicately featured face.

She was beautiful, and Inui had hated her from the moment they first met. That meeting had taken place shortly after he had come back into Kaidoh's life, his status reduced to being nothing more than a friend. He wished his hatred of her had been unfounded, that Yukiko had truly been worthy of Kaidoh.

Her expression had been cheerful when she entered the restaurant, but it quickly changed to polite neutrality the moment she saw Inui, Nabiki, and Momo.

"Syusuke, I thought you had reserved the entire place for the friends you wanted me to meet," she said, looking at Fuji questioningly.

"I did, Yukiko-san. These are all friends of mine from junior high." He inclined his head toward Eiji, who had positioned himself right beside Ryoma. "That's Kikumaru Eiji. He teaches gymnastics. Beside him is-"

"Echizen Ryoma," Yukiko finished for him, a bit of excitement in her voice. "One of the top three Japanese players in professional tennis, along with you and Tezuka Kunimitsu."

"You mean he's one of the top four Japanese players," Momo corrected icily. "He may have temporarily dropped out of the pro circuit, but Kaidoh Kaoru is still one of the best."

Yukiko stiffened, but Fuji spoke before she could do or say anything in response. "Three is correct, but I'm the one who should be removed from the list. I only went professional so I could play against Tezuka." His smile widened as he turned his attention to Momo. "I should continue the introductions."

"There's no need," Yukiko said, her expression once more politely neutral. "Momoshiro Takeshi, the owner of the Dunk Smash Tennis Shop. And next to him is Inui Sadaharu, a freelance researcher who occasionally comes up with and sells special training programs for athletes. The girl with him is Kaidoh Nabiki, my ex-husband's daughter."

"You know Momo and Inui?"

"Yes. And if you went to junior high with Momoshiro-san and Inui-san, then you must have also gone with Kaoru."

"I did," Fuji admitted. "He was a very… peculiar boy and difficult to get to know. He was good at tennis though." He opened his eyes fully and studied Nabiki. "I thought she looked somewhat familiar. If she's Kaidoh's daughter, doesn't that mean she's your daughter as well?"

Yukiko was silent a moment as she stared at Nabiki. The little girl swallowed hard, clutching Inui's hand tightly, and stared back. "No. She's not my daughter."

Inui gave Nabiki's hand a light, reassuring squeeze. "Nabiki legally has two parents, and Hanatori-san is not one of them."

"Ah. I see," Fuji said softly. His eyes squeezed shut briefly as he smiled, only opening enough after that to allow him to see. "If you'll excuse me, I want to speak to the owner for a moment."

While Fuji disappeared into the back room, the others settled around one of the tables. Ryoma, Eiji, Inui, and Nabiki took one side, with Yukiko directly across from Ryoma. Momo sat across from Nabiki, leaving two spaces between himself and Yukiko.

There were a few moments of uncomfortable silence before Ryoma spoke. "You have… pretty eyes," he said, staring intently at Yukiko's face.

"I…um…th-thank you," she stammered, blushing prettily.

Ryoma debated between complimenting her looks again or coming up with a poem of some sort, but his thoughts were interrupted by Eiji pinching his arm.

"Eiji-senpai!" he said in surprise as the older man flung an arm across his shoulder.

"Hee, don't mind him, Hanatori-san. Ochibi really likes green eyes." He quickly put his hand over Ryoma's mouth before he could contradict him.

Yukiko laughed softly and smiled. "It's charming to see someone so willing to speak their mind."

Inui watched them from behind his opaque glasses. Ryoma's blurted comment could have potentially hurt their plan, but he didn't think it had. There was a look of speculation and interest in Yukiko's eyes. So far, everything was working out well.

The owner of Kawamura Sushi should have been out in the main part of the restaurant when they had arrived. Fuji had known that he wouldn't be. The tensai came up behind Kawamura Takashi as he checked his stock of fresh fish and hugged him.

"I'm sorry, Taka-san," he said softly.

Taka pulled away from him a little, then turned and held him close. "It's okay. I wish you weren't doing this, but I know you think it's the right thing."

"She has to pay for what she did."

Taka lightly rested his chin on Fuji's head. "It'll be over soon, Syusuke?"

"Yes. There should only be one more week of this charade." He tightened his arms around Taka for a moment, then stepped back out of his embrace. "I love you, Taka-san."

"I love you too, Fujiko. I'll be out in a minute to take your orders."

Once Fuji was back in the main part of the restaurant, Taka picked up the phone and started dialing. They shouldn't be the only ones with a plot going on.

When Fuji returned, Yukiko and Eiji were chatting amiably, with Ryoma throwing in enough comments to be considered part of the conversation. The discussion came to a close as Fuji settled down beside Yukiko, flashing everyone his customary smile.

"It's good to see you're getting along with Eiji and Echizen. I didn't realize there would be a problem with Inui and Momo." He glanced at the two of them as they spoke. Both looked stiff and uncomfortable with the situation.

"My apologies, Fuji," Inui said. "When you asked us to come and meet your fiancée, I didn't realize the woman in question was Hanatori-san. I'm afraid I've allowed our past interactions to affect my behavior. Please forgive me for my rudeness."

"I apologize too," Momo said grudgingly.

"It's all right. I had forgotten that you two were fairly close to her ex-husband. I'd even almost forgotten that I knew him. He kept to himself so much that he would have completely faded from memory if not for his peculiar mannerisms."

Taka came out then and took their orders. The wait wasn't too long, and Eiji kept up a lively conversation among himself, Ryoma, Yukiko, and Fuji even after several platters of sushi were placed on the table.

The other three were more or less ignored until Momo and Nabiki both reached for the last piece of sushi on the platter between them.

"_Fsshuu_…"

"Nabiki!" Yukiko snapped. "You're being a rude little beast!"

Nabiki's cheeks flushed scarlet and she folded her hands in her lap, looking down. "I'm sorry, Momochan-san," she mumbled.

"It's okay, Mamushiko," Momo said softly, holding out the piece of sushi. "You're a growing girl, so you should have it."

"Mamushiko?" she repeated, cocking her head slightly as she took the offered sushi.

Inui cleared his throat and looked directly at Yukiko. "You don't have the right to speak to Nabi-chan that way, Hanatori-san." Then he turned his attention to Momo. "And I would appreciate it if you would refrain from calling my daughter a little viper."

That got everyone's attention. "Your…daughter?" Momo questioned, looking utterly bewildered.

"Nya?" Eiji looked equally baffled.

Inui adjusted his glasses before explaining. "I told you all earlier that Hanatori-san is not one of Nabiki's two legal parents. She is the biological mother, but she signed away her parental rights." He didn't tell them that she'd done it because he had blackmailed her. She had wanted to retain legal rights to the girl in case she became useful. "With Kaidoh's permission, I adopted Nabiki as a secondary parent."

Nabiki blinked and studied him for a moment. "Does that mean you're my mama now?"

Inui frowned slightly. "No."

Before the conversation could get complicated, Fuji's cell phone rang. He went outside to take the call in private, coming back a few moments later with a distressed expression on his normally cheerful face.

"That was Yuuta. He needs me." He looked at Yukiko. "Yukiko-san, I need to go, but I have no idea how long I'll be."

"I could walk her home," Ryoma offered.

"I'll go too," Eiji immediately said.

Fuji smiled. "Thank you. This means a lot to me." He knelt beside Yukiko and kissed her hand. "I'm sorry, Yukiko-san."

"It's all right, Syusuke. Go take care of your brother."

As he left, Fuji gave a small hand sign that only Inui saw, indicating that the phone call had been what they had planned, rather than a true emergency. Everything was going perfectly.

* * *

Yukiko leaned heavily against the inside of her apartment door, lost in thought. Ryoma had been a pleasant and charming companion on the walk home. He was even more famous than Kaidoh or Fuji, and was everything she'd been aiming for when she'd decided to use Kaidoh as a springboard for better things.

He had clearly indicated that he was interested in her, but… but she was in love with Fuji. He was beautiful, graceful, and kind. Her head told her that trying for Ryoma would be in her best interest, but her heart told her she should stick with Fuji.

She sighed and let her head lightly thunk against the door. She'd listened to her head for entirely too long. Perhaps it was time to let her heart lead her for once.

* * *

For all but the last eight months of her life, Nabiki had gotten a bedtime story from her father before going to sleep, even if he was out of town and had to tell it over the phone. He had always come up with them himself, and they had always involved animals.

Eight months ago, Inui had started telling her bedtime stories. They were terrible, but she hadn't had the heart to tell him. Fortunately, he had figured it out on his own and had started teaching her things instead.

Most of the things he said about numbers and calculating percentages went right over her head, but her young mind was like a sponge, and she absorbed every word. She especially liked it when he recited juice recipes, which was what he was currently doing.

This one involved asparagus, beets, spinach, jalapenos, a hint of wasabi, and lots of insects. From the tone of his voice, Nabiki suspected there was someone in particular he would have liked to force it on.

"You should add lizards to it," she commented with a yawn when he finished telling her the recipe. Normally, she would have gotten at least three recipes, but it was long past her bedtime, and she was sleepier than usual.

"Hm. Good idea." He wrote that down in his notebook, then tucked her into bed.

"Goodnight…Mama." Her lips twitched into an impish little grin as she said it. "I love you."

He snorted and kissed her on the forehead. "I love you too…. And I'm not your mother."

She just grinned more before closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep. Inui watched her for a few moments with a soft look of affection. He'd made a horrible mistake seven years ago, but he had stopped regretting it the moment he had first seen Nabiki. If he hadn't made that decision, she wouldn't exist.

His relatively good mood vanished as soon as he left the room. Kaidoh was in the hallway, leaning against the wall and watching him with cold, expressionless eyes.

"Did you take care of her arm?" he asked, sounding disinterested, as if he were only asking because he felt it was expected of him.

"Yes. It was just a scrape. She wants to keep the bandana."

"Hn. Whatever." He seemed so cold and uncaring, his emotions safely locked away behind some kind of armor.

"You got your wish, didn't you, Mamushi?" Inui murmured just loudly enough for the other man to hear.

Kaidoh gave a soft, self-mocking laugh. "Yes, I suppose I did. And all I had to do was let you and Yukiko destroy my heart." He pushed off from the wall and glanced back at Inui with those cold, emotionless eyes. "It's not what you promised, but I suppose the end result is the same. You can't hurt what's already broken and gone. Goodnight, Inui."

And then he walked away, going to his room and leaving Inui alone with his memories.

_It was disturbing, watching Kaidoh watch the snakes, but Inui couldn't take his eyes off of him any more than the younger boy could take his off of the sinuous reptiles._

_Kaidoh was crouched in front of their enclosure, his fingertips lightly touching the glass as he swayed imperceptibly, his breath coming out in a low, continuous hiss. He seemed almost to be in a trance as he watched them slowly devour their prey._

"_They're beautiful, aren't they?" The whispered words startled Inui enough that he almost dropped his notebook._

"_I…suppose…"_

"_They are," Kaidoh quietly insisted. "The way their scales shine in the light…." His words trailed off with a soft sigh._

"_You tend to emulate snake behavior, and you seem to like them. Why does it upset you so much when Momoshiro and others call you mamushi?" It was something he'd been wondering from the first day he'd come to watch the snakes with Kaidoh._

_Kaidoh was silent for several moments, and Inui thought he wasn't going to answer. Then he began speaking quietly in an odd, almost dreamy tone of voice._

"_I love snakes. They're cold and beautiful, and it's hard to hurt them. They have natural armor. And if you manage to cut them, they'll eventually shed their skin enough that there isn't even a scar._

"_They're loners by nature. They don't care if anyone likes them or not. They don't care if anyone thinks they're weird._

"_I don't like it when Momoshiro calls me mamushi because I'm not there yet. It's a reminder of all of my shortcomings._

"_If I could have just one wish, it would be to be like them, a cold predator that doesn't care about anything and can't be hurt."_

_Inui slowly moved in closer to him and crouched by his side, cupping the other boy's cheek in his palm and turning his face toward him._

"_You don't need to be a snake to keep from being hurt," he whispered, pressing a soft kiss against his lips. "I'll be your armor, if you really think you need it."_

"_Hmn." Kaidoh closed his eyes for less than a second, then opened them with a small smile. "So you'll keep my heart safe and whole?"_

_Inui leaned forward a bit to lightly press his forehead against Kaidoh's. "Of course."_

_He didn't know at the time that he was telling a lie._


	4. Chapter 4

**Tattered Strips of Green**

**Chapter Four**

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Prince of Tennis or the associated characters.

**Author's Note**: 10,000 yen is about 85.55

**WARNING**: Self-mutilation

* * *

Kaidoh stared apathetically at the ceiling while he lay sprawled across his bed, barely working up enough energy to pet the black cat on his chest. It was the afternoon of the next day, and he had already taken the dog out on her morning walk. Inui and Nabiki were shopping for juice ingredients, leaving him as the only human currently in the house.

He sometimes wondered what would have happened to Nabiki if he and Inui hadn't become friends again. He hadn't planned on it happening, had even managed to convince himself that he never wanted to see Inui again, but chance had caused their paths to cross one day, five years ago. He remembered it as if it were just yesterday.

_It was awkward, the first time they saw each other after the breakup. He mentally cursed the construction that had led him to walk the puppy along the river instead of taking their usual route. He turned away, meaning to leave quickly, but Inui's hesitant voice stopped him._

"_I…uh…I heard you got married."_

"_Nn." Kaidoh gave a slight nod without turning around. His fists clenched as a storm of conflicting emotions raged through him. Hatred, love, hurt, betrayal, and the longing to once more have a friend who really understood him. He could never forgive him, but…._

"_I can never forgive you, Inui-senpai!" he blurted, whirling around to face the other man. For just a brief moment, Inui looked utterly stricken, but his expression quickly changed to one of calm neutrality._

"_Yes, that's to be expected," he said quietly, using one finger to adjust his glasses. He turned to leave, but Kaidoh lunged forward and grabbed his arm._

"_I can never forgive you," he repeated. "But maybe… maybe I can forget, just a bit, what you did."_

"_What does that mean, Kaidoh?"_

"_I…" He looked down at the ground and took a deep breath, then raised his head to meet Inui's bespectacled gaze. "Were you ever really my friend, or was that just an experiment too?"_

"_Our friendship was real," Inui said softly. "Kaidoh, I…" He stopped himself, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't. He looked away. "You were the only person who ever really seemed to understand me."_

_Kaidoh gave a jerky nod and turned around, starting back the way he had come. "The dog seems to like being walked along the river. I think I'll start bringing her here more often."_

_He would never be able to forgive Inui for playing with and breaking his heart, but maybe they could be friends again, if he could try to forget that they'd ever been anything more._

He was pulled from his memories by the ringing of his cell phone. He shooed Gremlin off his chest and sat up before grabbing the phone from the nightstand. He frowned slightly at the name flashed by the caller ID. Tezuka? Why was Tezuka calling him?

"Yes?" he said into the phone as he answered it.

"Meet me at the street courts in half an hour," was all Tezuka said before hanging up.

Kaidoh stared at his phone for a minute. Tezuka lived two hours away. Why was he close enough to make it to the street courts in half an hour?

_I guess it doesn't really matter,_ he thought, getting up. He would go, of course. Even after all the years since his second year at junior high, it was hard to even consider not obeying an order from Tezuka. Besides, he didn't have anything better to do.

* * *

"Hm. It appears you've won," Tezuka said calmly, briefly glancing at where the ball had recently slammed into the ground.

Kaidoh growled. "Why didn't you play seriously, Buchou?" His hand tightened around his racket in fury. Why? Why was he feeling like this? He hadn't felt any strong emotions for the past eight months, but now he was angry.

Tezuka had been toying with him. Over the years, he'd gotten good enough to hold his own against his former captain. The game should have been a close one with either capable of winning, but Kaidoh had won six games to love.

"Should I have played seriously?"

Rage filled the younger man at the question, the emotion bursting through his defenses and overwhelming him. Did Tezuka consider him so pathetic that it wasn't even worth it to win against him?

"_Fssh_-" He stopped mid-exhalation, his anger suddenly gone. He hadn't consciously realized it before, but he hadn't made that particular sound at all in the past eight months.

…_Within the serpent's coils, the young man stirred once more. Something had managed to get past the serpent, disturbing its charge, but not yet waking him. Something had made him… angry. He slowly rolled to his side and curled into a tight ball. Then he was still again, except for the slight movement of his lips as he began to hiss…._

Tezuka turned and walked away while Kaidoh was distracted. He permitted himself a small smile as he slid his hand under the wristband of his long-sleeved shirt, lightly touching the scrap of green cloth.

He pulled out his cell phone and made a call. "Your turn," was all he said before hanging up. Kaidoh's anger had been a good sign. It would take time, but he would come back to them.

* * *

An hour later, Kaidoh was sitting by the river, trying to figure out just what had happened. He was proud of his tennis abilities. By the time he was a second-year in junior high, he had developed his own variation of the buggy whip shot, a move that required a great deal of skill and technique.

And Tezuka had acted like he was so insignificant that it wasn't even worth winning against him. Anger threatened to overwhelm him again, but he ruthlessly forced it back, along with a tinge of fear. If one emotion could get through, then others could as well.

He gasped softly in sudden realization. That was it. That's how it had happened. When he had seen Nabiki trip, concern for her had somehow broken through his emotional armor. It had left enough of an opening for Tezuka's actions to piss him off.

He hugged his knees tightly to his chest. He had to stop this somehow. He didn't want to feel. It was like he had been asleep for a long time and was on the verge of waking up. And when he woke, all of his emotions would come back. And with them came the possibility of the voices returning as well.

A small whimper escaped him as he clutched at his head. He would throw himself in the river again before letting that happen. An image of Nabiki floated through his mind at that thought. How would she feel if he did that?

Why did it matter? It wasn't like he was capable of being there for her in his current state. He was a useless waste of resources at the moment, doing nothing more than existing from day to day and dragging down those around him like some sort of living whirlpool.

The ringing of his cell phone interrupted his melancholy thoughts. He dug it out of his pocket and checked the caller ID. Oishi. Should he bother answering?

He sighed and answered. It wasn't like he had anything better to do.

* * *

It felt strange being back at Seigaku after so many years, watching a new batch of boys practice at the tennis courts. His attention was focused mainly on a second-year who was clearly good enough to be a regular, but wasn't for some reason.

"Sorry for calling you on such short notice, but I could use the opinion of a former Seigaku captain," Oishi said apologetically. "The current captain is good, but he tends to defer to me quite a bit."

Oishi had taken Ryuzaki's place as tennis coach and had adopted her method of working closely with the team captain to make decisions for the team.

"I didn't have anything else to do," Kaidoh mumbled in response to the apology. He didn't bother to point out that Oishi had been captain while Tezuka recovered from his injury. The other man had been much more comfortable in his role as vice captain. "Why isn't that kid a regular?"

"Miyazuki is a transfer student who joined the club yesterday. I can already tell he's better than at least one of the regulars, but we just had the ranking tournament for this month a few days ago."

"He's better than that one." Kaidoh indicated another second-year. Unlike Miyazuki, he was wearing a regular's shirt. It had been about a decade since he had taken over as captain after Tezuka's graduation, but he was still good at quickly and correctly figuring out potential.

"Aomaru just made regular in this last set of ranking matches."

Kaidoh closed his eyes for a moment, thinking the problem over. "You could hold another ranking tournament, but that would put everyone on edge. The best thing to do would be what you decided on when Echizen came back in time for the Nationals. Make the rules a bit different though. Aomaru might be able to manage at least one service game."

Oishi nodded slowly. "A private match between Miyazuki and Aomaru. And, let's see, instead of having to win six to love, whoever can win by a three game lead becomes a regular." He wrote down a few things on his clipboard. "I'll set that up for tomorrow."

"Why not today?"

"Well, I had an ulterior motive for calling you here," Oishi admitted. "I was talking to Taka-san yesterday, and it came up that neither of us had seen you in a while. We're supposed to head over to his restaurant in a bit. You don't have any plans already, do you?"

"…No."

"Good. Go on ahead and I'll catch up. I have to let Arisawa know that I'm leaving early. He can finish up practice without me here."

Before Kaidoh could respond in any way, Oishi ran out onto the courts and called all of the regulars, plus Miyazuki, over to him.

"Good job, guys," he said. "Thanks for your help." He felt bad about all of the lies he'd told, but they had been necessary.

Aomaru grinned at him. "It was fun pretending to be a regular, Oishi-sensei."

"Tch. Just be glad you didn't get my shirt dirty, or I'd have to hurt you," Miyazuki said gruffly. Then he ruined the tough guy image by reaching over to ruffle Aomaru's dark brown hair.

"I'll have everyone run a few laps, then send them home, Coach," Arisawa said. "Now get going."

Oishi laughed and waved as the teenager gave him a gentle shove to send him on his way. Arisawa was almost as good a captain as Tezuka and Kaidoh had been. He could manage just fine on his own.

* * *

Kaidoh barely noticed when Oishi caught up with him. He was too busy staring at a clinic that treated stray animals. He had forgotten that it was between the school and Kawamura Sushi.

"Sorry about the wait, I…" Oishi trailed off, looking at Kaidoh in concern. "What's wrong?"

Kaidoh silently stared at the building for a little over a minute before finally answering. "Nothing." He turned away from the animal clinic. "We should go. Kawamura is expecting us, and it's rude to keep people waiting."

_He murmured soft words of comfort to the trembling puppy in his arms as he neared the animal clinic. It looked up at him with large, trusting brown eyes, as if knowing its broken leg would soon be taken care of._

_Kaidoh stopped and looked over his shoulder at the sound of running footsteps. There was a woman rushing toward him. He tensed, waiting for her to screech something about someone as scary looking as him obviously being responsible for the puppy's injury._

_Instead, she ran right past him and held the door to the animal clinic open. She smiled at him. "That should make it easier to get him in without jostling him too much."_

_He blinked in surprise. "Th-thank you." He gave a slight bow of his head and went in._

"_Ah, Kaoru-kun, you found another one?" the elderly woman behind the front desk said as he entered. He nodded, and she came around the desk to carefully take the puppy from him._

_Once she disappeared into the back room with the animal, the woman who had held the door came over to him. "It's nice to see someone who cares about injured, helpless creatures." She smiled at him again and held out her hand. "Hanatori Yukiko."_

_He shook her hand. "Kaidoh Kaoru."_

_She looked like she was about to say more, but the old woman returned then, and Kaidoh refocused his attention to her as she went back to her place behind the front desk. He pulled out his wallet and gave her ten thousand yen. Payment wasn't required when bringing in an animal, but he always made a donation._

"_You're such a sweet, kind boy. I'm surprised you haven't been snatched up by a pretty young lady yet."_

_He blushed and looked down at his feet. Compliments always embarrassed him, and he could never figure out how to respond to them. He was saved from having to say anything by Yukiko coming up beside him to make her own donation._

"_If you aren't busy tonight, would you like to go out to dinner with me?" Yukiko asked as they left the animal clinic together._

_He froze and stared at her with wide eyes. "You mean…go on a date?"_

_She smiled and nodded. His eyes narrowed as he studied her. Pretty girls shrieked and ran from him. They didn't ask him out on dates. "Did Momoshiro put you up to this?"_

_He knew his former rival meant well, but if he was trying to set him up with someone again, he was going to throttle him. The only person he had ever loved had broken his heart. He wasn't going to stupidly trust it to someone else, especially not someone chosen by Momoshiro._

_Yukiko's lovely smile turned into a frown of confusion. "Who?"_

"_Ah, never mind." He stared down at the ground, then looked back at her. One date couldn't hurt. "I'm not busy tonight."_

_Her dazzling smile reappeared. "Then it's a date."_

* * *

When they got to Kawamura Sushi, Kaidoh was surprised to see Tezuka there, sitting at one of the stools in front of the counter. He stopped in the doorway, but Oishi gently pushed him forward, herding him to the seat beside Tezuka.

Kaidoh barely kept from jumping in surprise when his former captain gave his shoulder a brief, light squeeze in greeting. Then Oishi sat on the empty stool beside him and casually flung an arm across his shoulders.

The tennis coach didn't seem to notice Kaidoh's wide-eyed stare of shock. He was not used to so much casual physical contact. What was going on? Why had both Tezuka and Oishi suddenly called him? And why were they being so friendly toward him? He especially wondered it of Tezuka. He was acting as if the match earlier that day hadn't happened.

"It's good to see you again," Taka said with a smile, breaking into Kaidoh's thoughts. "It's been awhile."

"It's good to see you too," Kaidoh mumbled, looking down as Taka patted him on the head. He had the feeling that the sushi chef would have ruffled his hair if not for the gray bandana that was in the way.

"_Do you honestly think anyone could care about someone like you?"_ Yukiko's voice whispered faintly in the back of his mind.

He swallowed hard, forcing down a wave of panic. He couldn't lose control in front of anyone. His emotional walls had taken several beatings in the past two days. They weren't strong enough to deal with this. And now the voices were coming back.

* * *

He had managed to hold himself together the entire time he was with Tezuka and the others, but he was trembling by the time he got home. A quick look in the fridge showed that Inui and Nabiki had been home at one point, but had apparently left again.

"Damn it," he whispered, even his voice shaky. He had a better chance of controlling things when there were other people around.

"_Don't be ridiculous, I never loved you. You were just a way to achieve my ultimate goal."_

"_It was just an experiment. It didn't really mean anything."_

They were faint and barely audible, but they were there. The voices were definitely back.

Panic and anxiety threatened to overwhelm him, his body going into fight or flight mode with no idea of what was wrong. He forced himself to take a deep breath. He knew how to handle this. Inui would be upset if he found out, but he didn't particularly care. Let him be angry, he had no right to interfere in his life anymore.

He searched through the kitchen drawers, trying desperately to tune out the voices as they gained in volume, until he found a sharp-edged knife. Then he made his way to the couch, nearly dropping the knife several times before he sat down.

The shaking stopped with the first horizontal cut across his left arm, his body noticing the pain and incorrectly identifying it as the cause of his fight or flight reaction. The anxiety and overflow of adrenaline stopped.

At the third cut, a wall of calm started to form, cutting him off from his emotions and stopping the voices. The next three cuts didn't hurt at all, each one adding a layer to the wall of calm. As he made the seventh cut, he was so absorbed in watching the knife split his skin that he barely noticed the front door opening.

"P-papa?" Nabiki wailed in obvious distress. He froze, but didn't look up from his arm.

"Nabi-chan, go to your room," Inui ordered quietly. She obeyed without a word.

Kaidoh stayed perfectly still, the knife still pressed against his arm, as Inui came to stand in front of the couch. Inui gently took it away from him and threw it across the room. Then he grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him to his feet.

He expected Inui to slap him, yell at him, or possibly both. That would be fine. Nothing like that could get past his wall of calm.

Inui did neither of those things. He pulled Kaidoh close and hugged him. And the wall of calm shattered.


	5. Chapter 5

**Tattered Strips of Green**

**Chapter Five**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Prince of Tennis or the associated characters.

**Warning: **Mentions of self-abuse and apparent attempted suicide.

* * *

Inui didn't let go as the man in his arms became a shrieking wild thing.

"Let me go!" Kaidoh screamed, struggling to get loose. "Damn you, let me go! I hate you! _I hate you!"_

Inui still didn't let go, not even when Kaidoh bit him hard enough to draw blood. "Twelve years ago, you promised me you wouldn't hurt yourself anymore," he said quietly.

"Promises to you mean nothing!" Kaidoh spat, still frantically trying to get away. "You broke your promises to me. You broke more than just promises. You broke _me_, and I hate you for it! You made me weak, and I hate you! I hate you, I hate you, _I hate you, you fucking bastard_!"

He gave one last wordless shriek of pain and rage, then went completely limp in Inui's arms, his body shaking with quiet sobs. Inui lowered himself to his knees, holding Kaidoh close.

He wasn't sure how he knew, but he was suddenly certain that Kaidoh had never cried over him, and had never cried over Yukiko. He'd turned off his emotions, had kept them bottled up inside while forcing himself not to feel anything.

It was ten minutes before Kaidoh went completely still against him, utterly drained. With a slight grunt of effort, Inui got to his feet, settling a limp, unresponsive Kaidoh over his shoulder.

He took the younger man to his room and sat him down on the bed. His eyes were dull and lifeless, and he barely reacted as Inui treated and bandaged the cuts on his arm. None of them were deep enough to require stitches.

He removed Kaidoh's shoes and bandana before tucking him into bed like a small child. Leaving the door open a crack for the animals, he went across the hall to his own room, sitting on his bed with a heavy sigh. His shoulder ached where Kaidoh had bitten him, but he didn't have the energy to deal with it.

It was all his fault. Kaidoh was strong and stubborn, someone who would never bend. Inui had forgotten that those who didn't bend always had a breaking point. He had broken him, seven years ago, but Kaidoh had somehow managed to put himself back together, still wounded and fragile, but whole.

And then Yukiko had come along and callously used him, reopening the slowly healing wounds in her bid for fame.

"Inui-san?" Nabiki's soft, sad voice drew him from his thoughts. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying. "Is Papa okay?"

"I don't know," he answered slowly. "But I think… I think he will be. Eventually."

* * *

He lay curled on his left side, staring into the darkness of his room. He felt nothing, but it was different from before. It was as if all of his emotions had been temporarily wrung out of him, rather than being held back behind a wall, waiting for the chance to overwhelm him.

Isis meowed loudly and jumped up on the bed. Kaidoh stirred himself just enough to hug her close. He stroked her silky fur with his right hand. His left arm was resting on his pillow, the jagged scar across his wrist in view.

"Everyone thinks I tried to commit suicide eight months ago," he said softly to the deaf cat. His tongue felt thick and heavy. It was almost too much of an effort to speak. "But that's not really what I was doing, not consciously anyway. I could hear them both in my head, and I just…"

Isis started purring and nuzzled his hand. He scratched her ears absently, still staring at the scar. He hadn't wanted to die. Just to make the voices stop.

_He had been avoiding his usual haunts for the past few days, but once the rain started, he found himself at the river, the place where so many things in his life had taken place. It was where he had worked so hard to perfect his Boomerang Snake. Where he had finally agreed to play doubles with Inui._

_It was also where he had kissed Inui for the first time, the evening after the other's match against Yanagi Renji. Where they said out loud what they had silently expressed to each other right after that match._

_It was where Inui had broken his heart._

_'This experiment has come to its natural conclusion.'_

_'It doesn't really mean anything. It's just training.'_

_'You can hardly expect me to give up my hopes for the future just because of your ridiculous fixation on me.'_

_"Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP!" Kaidoh screamed, clutching at his head._

_'Did you really think I could ever love someone like you?'_

_'You were just a means to an end, Kaoru. Six years is an acceptable amount of time to use you to make my name known, but really, you can't expect me to waste any more of my life with you.'_

_His feet took him to the water's edge as the voices swirled through his head. He slipped and fell, his right hand landing hard on a sharp rock. He pulled it out of the water and, with a scream of rage, used it to hack at his left wrist._

_The first time he had ever played against Echizen he had lost and had savagely beaten his own knee bloody with his racket. When Inui had offered to help him with stamina training after that, he had also made him promise to never again hurt himself out of anger or frustration._

_It felt strangely satisfying to break that promise, and the pain momentarily silenced the voices. But then numbness began to set in, and they were back. He got to his feet and staggered out into the middle of the river, the coldness of the water slowing the flow of blood from his wrist._

_'Did you really think I could ever love someone like you?' Yukiko's words, but in Inui's voice. 'You were just a means to an end.'_

_'Teenagers experiment with relationships all the time. It doesn't really mean anything.' Reversed this time, Yukiko's voice repeating Inui's hurtful words._

_'You're weird and antisocial. Why would I want to spend my life with someone like you?'_

_The water was deep enough that he couldn't stand anymore. He dove down, using strong frog kicks_ to _get to the bottom._

_'I'm leaving Nabiki with you. She's too much like you to ever amount to anything.'_

_The voices faded as his air ran out. He had to fight against his body's instinct to go back up. That would only let the voices come back. The need to breathe overwhelmed him, and he opened his mouth, drawing water into his lungs. The last thing he was aware of was the feeling of an arm suddenly encircling his ribs._

_Then he was on land, and the voices were gone. He didn't hurt inside anymore, he just felt cold and numb, like nothing could ever reach him again. No one could get close enough to betray him again. He wondered if he'd died in the river, and was now just an emotionless collection of memories._

_Someone flipped him over during his confused musings, and he coughed up water. When most of it was out of his lungs, he looked up, his gaze fixing on Ryoma. He distantly noted that the younger man actually seemed concerned. How strange._

_He was pulled to his feet, but he kept staring into Ryoma's golden hazel eyes. Sadness lurked in those eyes, as if their owner had been able to see into Kaidoh and realize that the person he had once known was no longer there._

* * *

He slept on-and-off until well into the next morning, only venturing out of his room twice to go to the bathroom. He had managed to avoid Inui and Nabiki both times.

It had been sixteen hours since all of his walls had spectacularly failed him, and he still felt void of all emotion. There was only a sort of fuzziness, like someone had stuffed him inside a giant cotton ball.

His cell phone rang a few times, but he ignored it. Five minutes after the last attempt, the main house phone rang. Not long after that, Inui came into his room with a glass of something reddish-purple. Kaidoh stared at the glass impassively, unable to work up the proper terror it deserved.

"Oishi called," Inui said quietly, as if afraid that speaking too loudly would set Kaidoh off again. "He said he and Taka-san will be over around noon and will be taking you somewhere whether you want to go or not."

Kaidoh's only response to that was a slow, sleepy blink. Oishi and Taka wanted to take him somewhere? He didn't think he wanted to go anywhere. He wasn't sure though. It seemed like a waste of energy to try to figure it out.

Inui frowned faintly and sat on the edge of the bed. "You need to drink something, or you'll get dehydrated. It's just fruit juice," he added, knowing the fear others had for his liquid concoctions.

Kaidoh considered that for a moment. Drink something? Fruit juice? Yes, that did sound good. He slowly sat up, scooting until he was right next to Inui. The older man seemed startled.

Kaidoh ignored him and grabbed the cup, leaning against Inui as he slowly sipped the fruit juice. The other man hesitantly put an arm around him, and he snuggled closer. That felt nice, snuggling against him. The lazy thought floated through his mind that he shouldn't be snuggling against Inui because Inui was a heartless bastard.

He let the thought wander off. He was comfortable, and that was all that really mattered, wasn't it? Yes, it was.

He vaguely noted that he had been wrong the day before. Whatever he had been doing before now, it hadn't just been existing. It had been cold and dreary, with a feeling of pressure as things pushed against his walls, trying to force their way in. It had been surviving, forcing himself to carry on from day to day because it was expected of him.

What he was doing now was just existing. There was no pressure, just a sense of…waiting. And the feeling of being surrounded and filled with soft cottony fluff. It was peaceful and warm. So very peaceful and warm.

Inui caught the mostly empty glass before it could fall more than a few centimeters. He set it on the floor, then wrapped both arms around Kaidoh. The younger man mumbled something in his sleep and burrowed against him.

It was likely he wouldn't have a chance like this again once Kaidoh came back to his senses. He took advantage of the opportunity and held him close, basking in the warmth of the man he loved.

_…The serpent was agitated. Not long ago, the one it protected had thrashed about in his sleep as if caught in a violent nightmare. Now he was quiet, but not still. He could no longer be mistaken for one who was dead. He made the small movements of a sleeping child. One who would soon begin to awaken…_


	6. Chapter 6

**Tattered Strips of Green**

**Chapter Six**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Prince of Tennis or any of the associated characters. I do own Nabiki and Yukiko. Isis belongs to Syldana and is being used with her permission. I did make up the origin story for Isis though.

**Warning: **Attempted self-mutilation (in a flashback this time).

**Author's Note:** I could be wrong, but as far as I know, we never see Kaidoh's bedroom. I'm going to assume he has a bed rather than a futon, since both Inui and Ryoma (I only remember seeing their rooms in any real detail) had beds.

* * *

At noon, Oishi and Taka arrived, as Oishi had said they would. Both were dressed for a casual day out, and Oishi had a large bag slung over one shoulder.

"He's not going to want to go anywhere," Inui said with a small frown as he let them into the house. Nabiki briefly poked her head out of the kitchen to see what was going on, then quietly went back to finish the lessons Inui had assigned her for the day.

"I told you, he's coming with us whether he wants to or not," Oishi said, his eyes seeming to gleam with an unholy light. Inui took an involuntary step back. Oishi was a kind mother-hen. He didn't _do_ unholy gleams of light. That was Inui's specialty.

"I don't know, Oishi," Taka said uncertainly. "If he really doesn't want to come with us, maybe we shouldn't force him."

Oishi reached into his bag and pulled out a racket. Then he gave it to Taka.

"All right! GREAT-O!" Taka roared. "Mamushi-kun is coming with us!"

Taka's charge into Kaidoh's room was followed by sounds of surprise and a brief struggle. Then the large man emerged with a dazed-looking Kaidoh over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Taka had apparently put shoes on him as well as a….

"Wait!" Inui cried out in alarm. "You can take him with you, but not like _that_!"

The ineptly tied bandana on Kaidoh's head was pink with little black and white panda faces. Inui knew that Kaidoh kept that particular bandana at the very bottom of one of the three drawers that housed his impressive collection. He never wore it and would only blush and hiss if asked about it.

Inui plucked it from Kaidoh's head and took it back to the other man's room, returning with a blue and green leopard print bandana. It was hard to correctly place and tie it with Kaidoh hanging over Taka's shoulder, but Inui had become an expert at removing and replacing bandanas during his teenage years due to a mild obsession with running his fingers through Kaidoh's hair.

Kaidoh's only reaction to it all was to blink a couple of times and look mildly stunned.

"We'll bring him back about half an hour before I need to go to work," Oishi said as they walked out the door.

Once they were gone, Nabiki peered out from the kitchen again. "Why did Oishi-san and Taka-san kidnap Papa?"

"I have no idea," Inui admitted. "But I think it might be for the best."

He also had no idea what had caused Kaidoh's bout of self-mutilation. Maybe whatever Oishi and Taka had planned would help him. Being around Inui certainly wasn't doing him any good.

"Papa doesn't really hate you," Nabiki said suddenly.

"…I know," Inui said. Kaidoh did hate him, but the younger man also felt other things for him. It was too complicated to explain to a five-year-old though, so he lied to her instead. "Nabi-chan, could you finish your lessons in your room? I have a phone call to make."

"Okay, Mama." She grabbed her things and darted to her room before he had a chance to correct her.

For a moment, Inui stared fondly in the direction she had gone, then his expression turned serious and a little sad. It was time to do something he should have done years ago. He had been too cowardly before, but after what had happened yesterday, he felt he needed to know the answer to the question that had been on his mind for several years.

He took a deep breath and picked up the kitchen phone to make a call.

* * *

Momo had just entered his old room at his parents' house when his cell phone rang. He thought it was Ryoma calling to check in again at Eiji's insistence. The tennis star had been going out with Yukiko a lot, usually accompanied by the gymnastics instructor. They were never quite dates, but Eiji had gleefully reported that Yukiko seemed to be suffering some sort of inner turmoil.

"What's going on now, Echizen?" Momo said into the phone.

"It's me," Inui corrected. "I need to ask you something."

"Okay. Is there something you need me to do for the plan?" He really hoped so. He hated just being there as an observer. It made him feel so useless.

"No….I…I want to know what happened seven years ago, after I…."

"After you broke my best friend's heart," Momo finished for him, his voice tight and angry. "If you want to know, ask Kaidoh, because there's no way I'm going to tell you."

"…Excuse me?" Both disbelief and mild bewilderment were evident in his voice.

"I'm not telling you," Momo repeated. "You managed to talk me into not telling him the truth, something which I'll never forgive myself for, and then left me to clean up the mess you caused. As far as I'm concerned, you don't have the right to know what happened. Kaidoh might feel differently, but I don't really think you have the guts to ask him. Goodbye, Inui."

He hung up before the other man could say anything, then flung himself down on his bed. He sighed softly, thinking about the past.

_Kaidoh was on his knees by the river when Momo found him. It had taken him only two minutes to get from the park to the river after Inui's call, but there had been a possibility that Kaidoh would run off._

_Inui had met with Momo an hour earlier, telling him about his conversation with Kaidoh's mother and his resulting decision. At first, Momo had insisted that Kaidoh should be told the truth, but had then reluctantly agreed that there was no point in getting Kaidoh upset with his mother. He had also agreed that Kaidoh shouldn't be left alone after Inui was finished talking to him._

_That was why Momo was currently standing by the river, staring down at the man who had once been his rival and was now his best friend. Kaidoh didn't react to his presence at all._

_"Oi, Mamushi, you okay?" he asked, reaching down to lightly shake Kaidoh's shoulder. It was a stupid question, but he couldn't think of anything else to say._

_He still didn't react, not even when Momo pulled him to his feet. He just stared at the ground, his expression mostly blank with a hint of sadness in his eyes._

_"Mamushi?" He grabbed Kaidoh's shoulders and gave him another gentle shake. No response. He slapped him, but that didn't get a reaction either and left Momo feeling like he'd just kicked an injured puppy._

_He sighed and let his hands drop from Kaidoh's shoulders. "Well, come with me. It's not a good idea for you to just stand around here. Not good at all."_

_He started to walk away, but stopped when he realized Kaidoh wasn't following him. He sighed again, knowing what he was going to have to do. He'd be laughed at if anyone he knew, other than the former Seigaku regulars, saw him. Screw them, they didn't matter._

_He went back to Kaidoh and reached out for his hand. The instant he touched Kaidoh, the other teen grabbed his hand with a firm grip. Momo looked at him, startled, but other than that, there had been no reaction to his presence. Kaidoh was still staring at the ground with that same blank but vaguely sad expression._

_It made sense, he supposed. Kaidoh had had to deal with a lot of rejection in his life. If someone was around right after the biggest rejection of all, he wouldn't want to risk that person abandoning him._

_He gave Kaidoh's hand a light squeeze and smiled at him. "Come on."_

_As Kaidoh docilely allowed himself be led away from the river, Momo tried to decide where to take him. He immediately thought of his favorite burger joint, but dismissed the idea just as quickly. He doubted Kaidoh was in the mood to eat anything, and even if he had been, he'd often claimed in the past that it disgusted him to watch Momo gorge himself on enough cheeseburgers to kill a normal person._

_What kind of things did Kaidoh like? Animals and bandanas. Momo cocked his head slightly in thought. Back in junior high, when Kaidoh had been suffering from a temporary bout of amnesia, he had reacted to a video clip of Ryoma's cat. There was an animal shelter not too far away. Maybe taking him there would help._

_They got to the animal shelter just as one of the volunteers came out to inspect a box that had been left outside the door. She pulled out a note and a small white kitten. The kitten yowled and struggled as the woman read the note. She sighed and looked sadly at the tiny animal._

_"What's wrong with the kitten?" Momo asked._

_"It's deaf. No one will want the poor thing," the woman answered._

_"I want it."_

_Momo looked behind him, startled by Kaidoh's sudden words. He wasn't staring at the ground anymore. His eyes were focused intently on the small creature the woman held._

_She gazed at him skeptically. "I don't think you understand-"_

_"I want it," Kaidoh repeated, cutting her off. "Nothing should have to go through life unwanted."_

_Momo winced a bit at that. "Give us the kitten," he said, letting go of Kaidoh's hand and taking a step toward the woman. "He's really good with animals, so he'll be able to take care of it, even if it is deaf."_

_The woman sighed. "Fine. We haven't officially taken it in yet, so here."_

_Momo accepted the squirming kitten from her and handed it to Kaidoh. The little creature calmed_ _once Kaidoh cradled it in his arms and let it sniff his fingers._

_Kaidoh didn't need to be led by the hand after that. He quietly followed Momo to a store and seemed content to wait outside with the kitten while his former rival went inside._

_Momo grabbed some litter and a bag of kitten food before looking at the available litter boxes and food dishes. He suddenly realized that he didn't know Kaidoh's favorite color. He seemed fond of green though, so Momo went with that, grabbing two bowls and a box._

_When he left the store with his purchases, Kaidoh was still leaning against the front of the building, petting the kitten._

_"Come on, Kaidoh," he said. "We have to go to your house."_

_Kaidoh nodded and followed him once more, staying silent the entire way. Right before they got to the front door, he stopped and blinked slowly, as if coming a bit more to his senses._

_"My mom is allergic to cats."_

_"Don't worry, she'll let you keep this one," Momo promised._

_Kaidoh nodded and went into the house, accepting Momo's words even though he knew his mother better than Momo did._

_"Kaoru?" Hozumi called, coming out of the kitchen as they entered and took off their shoes. She seemed concerned. That concern quickly turned to shocked dismay when she saw what her son held. "Is that a cat?"_

_Kaidoh walked past her without answering. From Hozumi's expression, Momo could tell that was far from his usual behavior when at home._

_Once he was sure Kaidoh was out of earshot, he glared at Hozumi. "You will let him keep the kitten," he said quietly. She opened her mouth to protest, chastise him for his rudeness, or both. Momo didn't know or care which, but he spoke again before she could say anything. "You will let him keep the kitten, or I'll tell him about the conversation you had with Inui this morning."_

_He turned away from her before she could respond and carried the bags with the kitten's things into Kaidoh's room. Kaidoh was sitting cross-legged on his bed with the kitten on his lap. It purred loudly as he gently scratched its ears._

_Momo set the bags down and closed the door. "So…um…what happened?" he asked awkwardly. He knew exactly what had happened, but he couldn't let Kaidoh know that. "Did it…um…involve Inui-senp-"_

_Momo abruptly stopped talking. Kaidoh was no longer petting the kitten, and his expression had gone completely blank. He slowly and carefully moved the kitten from his lap to the bed. Then he was up and moving in a flash, pulling something from his top drawer before Momo even realized he'd moved._

_"Kaidoh, NO!" Momo yelled, lunging toward him. The blade of the pocket knife was set to slice into his arm rather than his wrist, but Momo didn't want him hurting himself at all. He grabbed Kaidoh's hand, using all of his strength to keep him from using the knife._

_"Kaidoh, don't do this! What about the kitten? We should find out its gender," he babbled. "And it needs a name."_

_Kaidoh stopped struggling and broke free from Momo's suddenly lax grip. He calmly put the knife away and went back to sit on his bed, cuddling the kitten once more._

_"I already checked the gender. She's a girl," he said, acting almost normal as if he hadn't just gone crazy. "Isis would be a good name, I think."_

_Momo swallowed hard, staring at him with wide eyes. "Um…yeah. Isis is good. I'll set out her food and water and stuff. She's probably hungry."_

_His hands shook a bit as he filled her bowls and then the litter box. Inui, he decided, was definitely a subject best not spoken of. For now, anyway._

* * *

The first part of whatever Taka and Oishi had planned involved lunch at Kawamura Sushi. Taka's father, who had retired and given the restaurant to his son, had taken over as the sushi chef for the day.

Tezuka was again waiting for them at one of the stools, and Kaidoh soon found himself sitting between the former captain and Taka. As he nibbled at a piece of sushi, he realized he hadn't eaten in over twenty hours. Each bite made him feel a little bit more in touch with reality. He wasn't sure that was a good thing.

Tezuka, Taka, and Oishi began discussing English literature, a topic Kaidoh could listen to and enjoy without having to actively participate. He was certain they had chosen it for that exact reason. Why would they do that? And why did all three of them seem content to have wasted two days in a row with him instead of doing something productive?

Before he could even consider asking those questions out loud, they were all finished, and he was being herded somewhere else. That somewhere else turned out to be the zoo. Kaidoh managed to stay in control until they neared the reptile area, where the last remnants of the fuzzy, stuffed-in-cotton feeling deserted him.

He swallowed hard and clenched his fists to keep the shaking of his hands from being obvious. "I…um, need to go for a minute," he blurted. "Just stay here. I'll be back."

He turned and fled before any of them could react. He darted into the small space between a gift shop and a restroom building and sat against one of the walls, hugging his knees tightly to his chest and pressing his face against them.

_Slow, deep breaths, Kaoru,_ he told himself. He closed his eyes and took several deep, even breaths. _Okay, now rebuild your walls and everything will be okay._

He couldn't do it. With the strange, fuzzy feeling gone, he was left open and vulnerable to emotions, and he couldn't seem to rebuild his walls. He cursed softly as hot tears slowly spilled down his cheeks.

He hated crying. It made him feel weak and pathetic. He didn't even really know why he was doing it. Without his walls or the fuzzy feeling, sadness had filled him like tainted water welling up into a ground fed spring.

He automatically looked up when he heard footsteps, revealing his tear streaked face to Tezuka. He looked away, ashamed. "You probably think I'm weak," he mumbled.

"You're one of the strongest people I know," Tezuka quietly contradicted. "You've always been able to stand on your own. That's one of the many reasons I chose you to take my place as captain when I graduated.

"That quality also made it difficult to be there for you. I was relieved when Inui took you under his wing and got you to stop dealing with anger and frustration by hurting yourself. Though it looks like you've started that up again." He looked pointedly at the bandages wrapped around Kaidoh's forearm.

The younger man's cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "So Inui became my pillar in your place?"

"No, though I admit that's what I thought at first as well. You aren't the type to need or want one. Instead, you became Inui's pillar." Kaidoh looked up at him, startled. "It didn't happen all at once. You gradually became a central part of his life, someone he could depend on to always be there, to always hold firm and steady.

"But a pillar will crumble if it's attacked from both inside and out. I don't know exactly what happened seven years ago, but Inui did something and destroyed his pillar. He's had to stand on his own, and he's nowhere near as good at it as you are."

"That doesn't make any sense," Kaidoh murmured. If what Tezuka said was true, then why had Inui broken up with him? Why had he said it was nothing more than an experiment? Had it been a case of not realizing what you had until it was gone?

"Play a match against me later today," Tezuka said suddenly, breaking into Kaidoh's thoughts.

"…Okay."

"We should head back to the others," Tezuka said, approaching and holding out his hand in a silent offer to help him up. Kaidoh stared at him for a moment, his head cocked slightly.

"I thought pillars were supposed to stand on their own and not need anyone."

"People aren't architectural fixtures. Humans need each other."

"Even you, buchou?"

"It's often been said that I'm not human, but I assure you, it isn't true," Tezuka said dryly.

One corner of Kaidoh's mouth twitched up into a slight smile as he let Tezuka help him to his feet. Together, they went back to where Taka and Oishi were waiting.

_…Within the coils of the serpent, the twitches and slight movements of sleep ceased. The young man slowly started to open his eyes…_

* * *

Kaidoh stared at the ball he had just barely missed, his breath coming out in harsh pants. That was the end of the game and the match. Twenty-seven to twenty-five, with an overall score of seven games to six in Tezuka's favor.

"Good game, Kaidoh," Tezuka panted, equally out of breath.

Kaidoh's eyes gleamed as he moved to the net to shake Tezuka's hand. "I haven't been practicing for the past eight months. Next time, you won't win."

"Next time will be once you're back on the pro circuit. And you might be right." The sunlight reflected from Tezuka's glasses as he gave Kaidoh a challenging look. "Then again, you might not be."

_…The young man got to his knees, his eyes only half open. He was not yet fully awake. The serpent hissed in agitation…_

* * *

"Stupid, pompous buffoon," Inui muttered to himself as he opened the front door. Nabiki trailed behind him, wisely staying silent. "Why do these idiots even bother hiring me if they aren't going to listen to my advice?"

He'd been hired to create and supervise a training program for a promising young athlete, but the boy refused to cooperate, claiming that someone with his natural talent shouldn't have to work that hard.

Inui longed for a client as easy to train as Kaidoh had been. He had never complained and had even agreed to stop doing too much once Inui had explained the dangers of pushing himself too hard.

He sighed and rubbed his temples. He was tired, his head was starting to hurt, and he still had to make dinner for himself and Nabiki. Instant ramen wasn't all that healthy, but it was fast and easy to make.

His dinner plans were derailed by the sight of Kaidoh in the kitchen, cooking. Kaidoh cooked for himself all the time, but he seemed to be making enough for all three of them.

"Set the table. This is almost ready," he said quietly, refusing to look directly at Inui.

"R-right," Inui said, his mouth suddenly dry as he complied.

Dinner was quiet and a little awkward, but Kaidoh stayed and ate with them instead of going to his room. It hurt, to see Kaidoh fighting not to show his increasing agitation, but it was good to have him there.

"I'll clean everything up," Inui offered gently. Kaidoh gave a jerky nod and what might have been a look of gratitude before bolting to his room.

He could tell Kaidoh wasn't ready to have normal interactions with them yet, but he had tried, and that meant a lot. He glanced at Nabiki to gauge her reaction. She looked back at him, her eyes filled with something Inui hadn't felt in a long time. Hope.


	7. Chapter 7

**Tattered Strips of Green**

**Chapter Seven**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Prince of Tennis or any of the associated characters.

* * *

Inui stared at the phone in his hand, Fuji's words echoing through his mind.

_"It ends tonight."_

Tonight. The plan would come to its conclusion tonight. He needed to figure out what to do with Nabiki. He didn't want her to have any involvement with the end stage of the plan, and he couldn't deal with Hozumi again so soon. Kaidoh's little brother was usually willing to watch her, but Hazue was out of town with Shiba, taking pictures for Monthly Tennis.

Oishi was annoyed with him for getting Eiji involved, and Taka would be busy with the sushi restaurant. That left Inui with only one real option. He called Ann.

* * *

Kaidoh Nabiki and Momoshiro Keisuke stared at each other. They were in his backyard, which was mostly taken up with a small tennis court. She was not impressed with the spiky-haired redhead. He, on the other hand, found her absolutely fascinating.

"You look kind of like a snake," he announced gleefully.

"_Fsshuu_…." No, not impressed at all.

Keisuke jumped back slightly, startled both by the noise and the sudden change of her expression. "Scary, scary," he chirped. She had gone from being utterly adorable to looking as frightening as possible for a five-year-old girl.

"Do you know how to play tennis?" he asked suddenly.

"A little bit," she answered, her expressive little face switching to bewilderment.

"Hee, you're so cute," he said, handing her a racket.

Her eyes went wide and her cheeks turned a pretty shade of pink. Keisuke promptly fell in love. That didn't stop him from deciding to make her mad, though. He liked seeing her change expressions so quickly and completely.

"You're such a cute little hebi-chan." He started dancing around her, chanting happily while she glowered at him. "Hebi-chan, hebi-chan, hebi-chan!"

"_Fsshuu_…!" There was only one logical, reasonable course of action, and Nabiki took it. She hit Keisuke with the racket.

* * *

Yukiko stared at her ringing phone with a mix of excitement and dread. Ryoma had been calling her at least once a day from the time they had met, often asking if she wanted to go various places with him.

_I can't do this anymore,_ she thought in despair. _Ryoma would be the best choice for the kind of life I want, but I love Syusuke._ It hurt, thinking of living the rest of her life without Fuji. This time, she would tell Ryoma 'no'. She would turn him down while things were still innocent between them.

She took a deep breath and picked up the phone. "Hello?" she said, just managing to keep her voice from shaking.

"Hello, Yukiko-san." Relief filled her at the sound of Fuji's warm, cheerful voice, along with a surge of disappointment that she tried to ignore. "Would you like to go out to dinner with me?"

"Of course, Syusuke."

"Excellent. I'll pick you up at six-thirty. I have something important to tell you. I love you, Yukiko-san. Goodbye."

"I love you, too. Goodbye."

She smiled softly as she hung up. Something important to tell her? They were already engaged. Perhaps he had picked out the wedding day? Her smile turned into a silly, happy grin as she thought of that. It was already six o'clock. She hummed to herself as she got ready.

* * *

Inui's handwriting was usually neat and precise, each kanji character perfectly formed. Currently though, his hands were shaking so badly that it all came out as an indecipherable collection of jagged strokes.

He tore the page out of his notebook and balled it up before tossing it in the general direction of the trashcan. It fell to the ground, joining several other crumpled balls of paper. He took a deep breath and crossed his arms over the kitchen table, briefly pillowing his head on them.

_You can do this, Sadaharu. You_ have _to._ It was a day for endings. A day for truths. Including the most difficult truth of all. He took another deep breath and sat up straight. He set pen to paper once more, concentrating on holding his arm steady. It trembled slightly, but his writing was coming out legible, if not up to his usual standards.

He had intended to place the note in plain sight before leaving in time to witness the end of the plan, but Kaidoh came home just as he finished folding it into a square. He could give Kaidoh the note before heading out the door. That would work, and he wouldn't have to see his reaction to reading it.

It was cowardly, but he didn't care. His course of action decided, he stood and went out into the living room. Kaidoh glanced at him for a moment before looking away.

_Okay, just give him the note and leave,_ Inui thought. Except he suddenly didn't want to do it that way. Acting on instinct, he rushed forward and shoved Kaidoh against the back of the couch, forcing the other man to sit on it and grab Inui's shoulders to keep from falling over backwards.

"What are you-"

Inui silenced him with a deep, passionate kiss, thrusting his tongue into his mouth while simultaneously wedging his hips firmly between Kaidoh's thighs. Finally, he broke the kiss and held Kaidoh tightly against him.

"I love you, Kaoru," Inui whispered hoarsely, using his given name for the first time since the break up. "I've always loved you. I always will."

Then he shoved Kaidoh backwards and threw the folded note at him before bolting to the front door and leaving.

Kaidoh stared at the wall for several seconds in stunned silence while the note fluttered down to a soft landing on his chest. His knees were hooked over the back of the couch, and his head was hanging over the edge of the cushions, making everything seem upside down. It seemed strangely fitting, given the situation.

He picked up the note without looking and unfolded it, turning it upside down so he could read without having to lift his head.

_Seven years ago, your mother called me. She was worried that if we stayed together, you would come to regret not having a wife or children. Despite what others may have thought at the time, I knew even then that you are attracted to people based on personality rather than gender._

_I felt that I was in the way of your future, and decided to end things in the most hurtful way I could, so you wouldn't attempt to fix things. You were never an experiment. You were the center of my world. You were… everything._

_I wanted what was best for you, and I didn't think it was me. So I made a decision that I later realized I had no right to make._

_The plot against Hanatori-san is coming to its conclusion tonight, around seven-thirty. It will take place at the river. I won't be coming back unless you want me to._

_Nabiki is currently with Momoshiro's wife. Ann will bring her home tomorrow, and will likely be picking up some of my things. Even with the truth behind them known, I don't think my actions can be forgiven._

Kaidoh dropped the note and continued staring at the upside down wall.

_…The serpent wove back and forth, its scales sliding together as the thick coils shifted in agitation. With a low hiss, it turned on the one it was meant to protect and swallowed him whole…_


	8. Chapter 8

**Tattered Strips of Green**

**Chapter Eight**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Prince of Tennis or any of the associated characters.

* * *

Fuji had chosen a fancy, American style restaurant. It was beautiful, with elegant décor and dim lighting that set an intimate mood. It was the perfect place for a perfect evening. Fuji seemed, impossibly, to be even more charming than usual, and Yukiko felt like her heart would burst with emotion. She had never been happier in her life.

Fuji smiled at her and lightly squeezed her hand before suddenly getting to his feet. "Could I have everyone's attention, please?" His soft voice somehow carried through the restaurant and brought instant silence. "I have an announcement I'd like to make."

Yukiko's cheeks flushed with a sort of giddy embarrassment. He was going to announce their wedding date to a restaurant full of strangers. It was so wonderfully romantic.

"I'd like to tell you about this woman with me tonight." He looked at her, and she began to feel the first stirrings of uncertainty and dread. His piercing blue eyes were fully open, spearing her with a look of cold contempt. "She is the most disgusting, pathetic person it has ever been my misfortune to associate with."

Yukiko paled and stared at him in shock. She felt ill. This couldn't be real. Surely it was just some kind of sick joke. "S-Syusuke?" she whispered in a small, shaky voice. It wasn't a very funny joke.

"I don't recall ever giving you permission to use my given name, woman. Didn't you ever think it was rather presumptuous for filth such as yourself to address me in such a familiar manner?"

Her jaw dropped, then moved up and down a few times in failed attempts at speech. How could this be happening? It wasn't possible. "Syu-Syus-"

"Are you deaf as well as stupid and disgusting?" Fuji asked in a pleasant, friendly tone of voice.

"You…but…I…you love-"

He gave a soft, sweet laugh, the sound tinged with just a hint of dark mockery. "No one could ever love someone like you," he said gently. He was still standing, but his voice was quiet and intimate. "You are nothing, and it makes me sick to look at you. Leave. Now."

Yukiko fled, sobbing. Fuji watched her go with a small smirk, his eyes gleaming. Then those startling blue orbs squeezed shut as he flashed his usual smile. He bowed in sincere apology. "I'm sorry for that, everyone. Please forgive me."

As he rose from his bow, he took two objects from his pocket. His cell phone and a strip of green bandana.

* * *

She wandered in a daze. She couldn't seem to get enough air, and her heart hurt. It was like someone had pounded a stake through her chest. What had happened? How had everything gone so wrong so fast?

She tried to hold it back, but a choked sob escaped her. She hurt so much. She had loved him with all her heart, and he had said those things to her. _Is this how Kaoru felt when I…._

She dismissed the thought. Her ex-husband was a strange, only vaguely attractive person. Surely people like him didn't really expect others to care about them. Just because he had decided to be melodramatic about it didn't mean he had hurt like this.

Her cell phone rang, interrupting her train of thought. Maybe it was Fuji, calling to tell her it had all been a mistake. Maybe he had thought she was doing more with Ryoma than she really was, had learned otherwise, and was calling to apologize. She dug her phone out of her purse.

"Syusuke?" she whispered brokenly, her voice thick with tears.

"No. It's me," Ryoma said. "What's wrong?"

Ryoma. Ryoma was interested in her. He'd want her. She clung to that thought and the hope it gave her. The ache in her heart receded to a tolerable level. She hadn't been completely rejected. There was still someone who cared about her.

"I…Syusuke…he said…he said the most horrible things to me…." Her voice trailed off as she started crying. "He…he…he said I…disgust him…and…."

"Do you know the spot where the river runs near the park and under a bridge?"

"Y-yes."

"Meet me there," he said before hanging up.

* * *

By the river, Ryoma put his cell phone away. He lifted his arm to look at the scrap of bandana around his wrist. He'd been careful not to wear it around Yukiko. Now, though, it was important for her to see it. To know that the man she had so callously used and thrown away was dear to more people than she had ever imagined.

Fuji had chosen a restaurant near the river, so it only took Yukiko five minutes to arrive. Ryoma held his arms out slightly in a way that could be seen as an invitation for a hug, or possibly just a small, odd stretch.

Yukiko obviously took it as an invitation and flung herself at him, wrapping her arms around him and crying against his chest. In her grief, she didn't immediately notice that he wasn't holding her close. Wasn't, in fact, touching her at all.

"Are you almost done? You're getting my shirt wet," he said in disgust.

She jumped away from him as if she'd been burned, her face a mask of confusion. While most of her mind tried to understand Ryoma's sudden change in attitude, part of her noticed something around his wrist. What was that?

_It looks almost like a piece of one of Kaoru's stupid bandanas,_ she thought.

"Ryoma, what-"

"Were you actually stupid enough to think I really cared about you?" he asked in obvious disdain.

"I told you, Hanatori-san, no one can love a person like you," said Fuji's soft, gentle voice. Yukiko turned and saw him approaching. Inui, Momo, and Eiji were with him. All four wore a strip of green cloth around one wrist.

"Nya, that's not true, Fuji," Eiji quietly corrected. "There was one person who loved her. That's why we're all here."

"Ah, but he didn't love the _real_ her," Fuji pointed out. "He loved the person she pretended to be."

One person who loved her? The person she pretended to be? Those strips of green cloth….

"This is because of Kaoru," she whispered incredulously. Her knees started shaking and refused to hold her up anymore. She fell to the ground.

Fuji had never loved her. Ryoma had never been interested in her. They had just been toying with her. Why? She was beautiful, charming, and talented. Why would they do something like this to her?

"Why?" she whispered. "Why would you do this to me because of Kaoru? Other than his tennis skills, he isn't special at all."

"He's special to us," a voice said from behind Ryoma. Yukiko looked back over her shoulder. Three more men had silently joined them. They, too, were wearing the strips of cloth.

"Buchou!" Ryoma exclaimed, whirling to face the man who had spoken.

"Oishi!" Eiji bounded past Yukiko and flung himself at his boyfriend. "What are you doing here?"

Oishi hugged him. "I got a phone call telling me to contact Tezuka and Taka-san and come here at this time."

"Phone call?" Inui repeated. He was sure none of them had made the call. That left only one possible person.

"Who called you?" Fuji asked.

"I did."

Kaidoh appeared from behind a tree and walked down the concrete slope to join them on the strip of grass along the river. Like all of the others, he had a piece of cloth tied around his wrist. On his head was the green and white bandana with the kanji for their names written in faded black marker.

Yukiko stared at him with desperate hope as he walked toward her. He had loved her once. He would forgive her for what she'd done, and they could be a family again.

She surged to her feet and grabbed his arm as he started past her. Obviously, he didn't realize she was willing to be with him again.

"_Fsshuu_…. You're in my way," he said in annoyance, glaring at her.

Her hand fell limply to her side, though she stayed close to him, her body in light contact with his. She was too numb inside to be frightened away by the look he gave her. Even he was rejecting her? How could he not want her?

Momo came up behind her and dragged her away from Kaidoh. "Stay away from our mamushi, lady. You aren't even good enough to kiss the ground he walks on, much less touch him."

No one else was paying any attention to her. No one noticed as she staggered away, her sense of self-worth utterly crushed. She wasn't important. They were all, especially Inui, focused on Kaidoh. He had been looking slightly downward, his eyes hidden by his bangs, but he started to glance up as he approached Inui.

Inui momentarily forgot to breathe. In the past eight months, whenever he had looked into those eyes, it hadn't seemed to be Kaidoh looking back at him. Now though….

_…The giant serpent had begun to shrink after swallowing the young man. It writhed, most of its greatly diminished bulk hidden by a thickening layer of mist. It stilled suddenly and completely vanished from view._

_Soon, the mist began to fade, but the serpent was gone. It its place was the young man, standing with his shoulders slightly hunched._

"Fsshuu…." _He slowly began to sway from side to side, the hypnotic movement revealing the gleam of tiny, iridescent scales._

_Kaidoh Kaoru wasn't the warm, vulnerable young man or the cold, well-armored serpent. He was both, and always had been…_

Pain exploded through Inui's jaw, the force of Kaidoh's punch sending him staggering back.

"Keh. That's for being a dumbass and not just telling me the truth years ago."

He waited a bit for Inui to recover from the shock of the unexpected blow, then reached into his pocket and held something out to him. It was a tootsie roll pop.

Inui took it with a trembling hand and slowly unwrapped it. One side had been licked, leaving only a thin layer of hard candy clinging to the tootsie roll center. The outer shell hadn't been completely breached, but it was close. It would only take a little work to get all the way through.

Inui understood the message. Things couldn't just magically go back to the way they had been seven years ago. He didn't have automatic access to everything Kaidoh was. He would have to earn that level of closeness all over again. But this time, he was starting much closer to his goal.

The moment between them was broken by Eiji suddenly leaping onto Kaidoh's back.

"Kaoru-chan!" he shouted happily, hugging him tightly. Then he placed one foot on the ground, hooked his other leg around Kaidoh's shins, and shoved.

"Gah!" Kaidoh's arms flailed in a futile attempt to keep his balance. Inui caught him before he could fall. They stared at each other in silence for a few seconds before Inui gave in to impulse and kissed him. Several of the others erupted into wild cheers.

"Go, Inui, go!" Eiji called.

Inui didn't break the kiss until the need to breathe forced him to. There was a seventy percent chance of Kaidoh pulling away from him, but he didn't. Instead, he pressed his face against Inui's chest, hiding the fact that embarrassment had turned his cheeks a brilliant crimson.

"I hate you all," he muttered into Inui's shirt.

"We love you too, Mamushi," Momo said, rubbing the top of Kaidoh's bandana-clad head in obvious affection. "We love you too."


	9. Epilogue

**Tattered Strips of Green**

**Epilogue**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Prince of Tennis or any of the associated characters.

**Author's Note:** Thus ends the story of the revenge against Yukiko and Kaidoh coming back to himself. I have a sequel in mind though that will be the story of Inui and Kaidoh dealing with their issues. I won't be posting until it's finished though, so it might be awhile.

**…**

Three of the four men stared at her, two of them shocked and one studying his handiwork with a pleased expression. The fourth man took notes and made a comment about surprise being illogical in the current situation.

"Keh. Seriously. She looked like me when her hair was long. Did you think she'd somehow look _less_ like me after I cut it?" Kaidoh asked as he put the scissors away. He also surreptitiously tucked Nabiki's discarded braid into her tennis bag.

The twelve-year-old cocked her head and blinked at them. They were in the tennis clubhouse at Seigaku, and Nabiki was wearing the usual workout clothes of a first year. A white t-shirt with blue trim and a pair of blue shorts. She looked exactly like her father had at her age.

Momo startled them all by suddenly snapping his fingers. "Hold off on the match. I'll be back in about ten minutes." He dashed out of the clubhouse before anyone could agree or object.

Oishi sighed. "I never should have agreed to this," he muttered.

"But you did," Kaidoh said bluntly. "And no going back on it. She's already enrolled as a boy."

Oishi frowned unhappily. "You're that confident she and Keisuke-kun will win? Against two boys who will probably be regulars after the next ranking tournament?"

"She's no Echizen, but she and Keisuke have been playing since they were old enough to hold rackets," Inui pointed out. "They both have also greatly benefited from the personalized training I've been giving them. They'll win the doubles match, and you will let them both play in the ranking tournament, just as you promised."

"I don't mind pretending to be a boy, Oishi-san," Nabiki chimed in. "It was my idea. If I want to become the best tennis player I can be, I need to play on the boys' team."

Oishi sighed again. It was her dream to go to the Nationals with the Seigaku boys' tennis club. He was not the kind of man who could crush a little girl's dream, even if he didn't think it was a good idea.

"I know, I know. I made a promise, and I'll stand by it. If you and Keisuke-kun win the doubles match, you can join, and the both of you can participate in the next ranking tournament."

Momo returned not long after that, practically dancing with glee as he pulled something out of a paper sack. It was a yellow bandana with white diamond patterns, identical to the one Kaidoh had worn during most of his first year at Seigaku.

"Wow," Momo said after Nabiki put it on. "That's both cool and kinda creepy. It's like going back in time. I almost expect her to start yelling at me and calling me an idiot."

Nabiki, in a rousing display of maturity, stuck her tongue out at him.

"Come on, everyone," Oishi said, resisting the urge to sigh yet again. "We've kept the boys waiting long enough."

They filed out of the clubhouse, Nabiki going out on the courts to join Keisuke and two older boys. They took up their positions, Nabiki and Keisuke on one side of the net with Aramaki and Utagawa on the other.

Oishi frowned as he watched them, wondering why Kaidoh and Inui had insisted that Nabiki show him her skills by playing a doubles match. She wasn't very good at it, leaving most of the work to Keisuke and only taking a few easy shots that came right at her.

"I think I've seen enough," he said as the third game of the match started. So far, it was two games to love, in favor of Aramaki and Utagawa. Oishi was a master at doubles, and he could tell there was no connection between Keisuke and Nabiki. They'd never be able to win.

"You haven't seen anything yet," Kaidoh insisted, watching the game intently. "She likes to use some things from her mother's style."

"I didn't know Hanatori-san played tennis."

"He wasn't talking about her," Inui said, looking at a smirking Kaidoh in annoyance. "We've had this conversation before. I'm not Nabiki's-"

"Hush, woman!"

Inui's jaw dropped as he and Oishi stared at Kaidoh in shock. Momo started snickering.

"All of you just shut up and watch my kitten play," Kaidoh said quietly, moving forward and hooking his fingers in the chain-link fence.

Out on the court, Nabiki and Keisuke lost their third game in a row. She should have been upset. Instead, she smiled and started laughing softly.

"This'll be easy," she said confidently.

Keisuke looked at her, startled. "Is it time already?"

Nabiki nodded. "I knew ahead of time who we'd be playing, so I didn't need to observe them much." She stared at their opponents and pointed her racket at Utagawa. "Our chance of winning is ninety-three percent. Prepare to be annihilated."

They clearly didn't believe her. Then the fourth game began, and Nabiki really started to play. She anticipated most of their shots, murmuring numbers to herself and calling out position changes to Keisuke.

"D-data tennis!" Oishi exclaimed in disbelief.

As they watched Nabiki and Keisuke play, Inui pressed up behind Kaidoh, lightly grabbing the other man's shoulders and resting his chin on his bandana-covered head. Kaidoh stiffened for a moment before allowing himself to relax. Over the years, he had grown a bit more comfortable with random acts of public physical contact.

They were both strongly reminded of their long ago match against Shishido and Ohtori. They had lost. Nabiki, they knew, would triumph.

Oishi unconsciously moved closer to the fence. As Inui had said, the girl was no Ryoma. But she was good, blending logic and instinct into a play style that was uniquely her own.

She didn't have the reach yet to copy her father's Snake, but as the games continued, she found the opportunity to hit several fairly competent buggy whip shots. Then, during the twelfth game, the ball headed toward the edge of the court.

Nabiki smirked and went for it, doing an odd hop to the side once the ball connected with the strings of her racket. She turned her body, the force of the spin propelling the ball forward as she hit it, using her entire arm to swing the racket. It wasn't quite a Boomerang, and would have been out in a singles match, but it was a beautifully executed around-the-pole shot. And it won the match, seven games to five.

"Looks like you'll have at least two new members when school starts," Kaidoh said smugly.

"Are you sure about this?" Oishi asked, clearly troubled. "What if Nabiki wants to do girl things, and gets made fun of because everyone thinks she's a boy? And what about possible relationships?"

"Nabiki is a tomboy, and relationships aren't going to be an issue," Kaidoh said, inclining his head toward the courts. "Take a look."

Aramaki and Utagawa were not happy about the outcome of the match. The former approached Nabiki while the latter went after Keisuke.

"_Fsshuu_…."

Nabiki had her back to the adults, preventing them from seeing her expression. They could see Aramaki's though. The boy paled and rapidly backed away from her, only stopping when her attention shifted to Utagawa.

She stalked toward him as he shoved Keisuke to the ground. He turned at the sound of her hiss, his angry expression turning to one of uncertainty when she scowled at him.

"Back off, bastard!" she snarled, shifting into a fighting stance. She was ready and willing to punch him if it became necessary.

"Come on, Utagawa," Aramaki said, creeping nervously toward his doubles partner. "This was just a test game, and they won. No need to be upset."

Utagawa turned away in disgust and the two of them quickly left the court.

"Way to go, Mamushiko!" Keisuke said cheerfully as Nabiki helped him to his feet.

She glared at him. "Don't call me that."

"Mamushiko, Mamushiko… fshuuuuu."

"Stop that!"

"Fshuuuuuuu."

There was, Nabiki had discovered, only one way to deal with Keisuke when he was being annoying. She hit him with her racket.


End file.
